I have been contemplating climbing Indianhead Peak in the Anza-Borrego Desert for a few years. But this year everything came together and the summit bid was on! Friends of Debbie and myself were going out to work on their home in Borrego Springs and asked if we would like to stay in their bungalow for the week. The weather has been cool and wet on the coast and sunny and in the 80’s in the desert. How could we decline!

Here is a little information about Anza-Borrego SP from the California State Parks Website:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California. Five-hundred miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and miles of hiking trails provide visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the wonders of the California Desert. The park is named after Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish name borrego, or bighorn sheep. The park features washes, wildflowers, palm groves, cacti and sweeping vistas. Visitors may also have the chance to see roadrunner, golden eagles, kit foxes, mule deer and bighorn sheep as well as iguanas, chuckwallas and the red diamond rattlesnake.

Here is some of the park history from the DesertUSA Website:

• California State Park Commission created by State Legislature: 1927.
• Guy L. Fleming of La Jolla and Clinton Abbott of San Diego submit first plans for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: 1928.
• All Federally-owned lands north of Highway 78 acquired as park land by State of California: 1933.
• First California State Park Custodian assigned to Anza-Borrego Desert: 1933.
• Filing completed on Park lands south of Highway 78: 1941.
• Construction of Palm Canyon Campground completed: 1949.
• Borrego State Park and Anza Desert State Park consolidated to form Anza
• Borrego Desert State Park: 1957.
• Dedication of Visitor Center: March 16, 1979.

We spent the first few days exploring the vast activities and destinations available to us in this desert resort. We hiked the Yaquitepec Site on Ghost Mountain, saw the Petroglyphs above Little Blair Valley, climbed into Smuggler Canyon. We drove out to Fonts Point to view the Borrego Badlands and a trip to Alcoholic Pass. All this activity was secondary to getting ready to do one thing, climb Indianhead.

Indianhead Peak sits to the northwest of downtown Borrego Springs. The profile of the summit ridge resembles a face with an Indian headdress looking to the heavens. It rises from the Borrego Palm Canyon some 3000 feet in 1.2 miles from the canyon floor.

The evening before summit day, Deb and I prepared our packs and got to bed early. After some additional reading about climbing this peak, I decided to leave around 7 am instead of 8 am. The alarm went of at 6 am and after the morning preparations, Debbie decided not to go. She did not sleep well and was concerned about slowing us down. I am not crazy about going into the mountains alone, but in this case, I thought it best too.

Debbie dropped me off at the Palm Canyon Trailhead around 7 am…

Next edition of OTT Blog to continue the trek accounting!

It was bound to happen, day use limits on the chains to climb Half Dome. Here are some of the details from the National Park Service website:

“Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are now required on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays when the cables are up.  This is an interim measure to increase safety along the cables while the park develops a long-term plan to manage use on the Half Dome Trail.

Beginning in 2010, all people using the Half Dome Trail above the subdome must have a permit in possession on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays when the cables are up. A maximum of 400 permits will be issued each of these days. (Before the permit system, fewer than 400 people used this trail on weekdays, while about 800 people used this trail on weekends and holidays, on average.)”

Read all the details here: Half Dome Permits

Enjoy your climb, Peter

Well, if the rain stops here is Southern California it will be time to get out and start exploring more of the Desert Ranges of California and the Southwest. I have been climbing the desert peaks for many years. Recently I stumbled upon the Sierra Clubs Desert Peaks Section. The DPS as they are know has compiled a list of the “best” 99 peaks in the deserts of the Southwest. This is a great place to start to plan your trips to the desert region. I would have never gone into some of these regions had I not been prompted to do so by this list of mountain peaks.

The desert can be deadly in the summer, but remember it can be very nasty in the winter too. Be prepared for cold and dry conditions. But if the rains do move in, flash floods can be very dangerous! Not only can they swell and fill a canyon, but could block your path back to the trailhead leaving you stranded for an unknown period of time.

The desert offers its own set of beauty that many people miss by not actually taking a trek into it and exploring it for an extended period of time. I have seen some of the most spectacular scenery and natural beauty in the desert!

The next on the list for me is Indianhead in the Anza-Borrego Desert. This peak is an awesome sight from Borrego Springs and gets its name because, you guessed it, looks like an Indian head. Check back for planning strategies and maps for this upcoming trip.

See you on the trail, Peter

This 10 Essentials List was found on the PCT-L. I like the way it is formatted. I have slightly modified it…

NAVIGATION – map, compass, (know how to use them), the route description, GPS

NUTRITION – Food for each day plus one – (be able to return with some food)

ILLUMINATION – Headlamp with fresh batteries

HYDRATION – Water bottles (full) plus extra, or water treatment system, or a purifying filter

IGNITION – Matches, lighter, fire starter, or stove w/full fuel bottle/canister

RADIATION – Sun protection hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm

INSULATION – Base layer (wicking), insulation layer, rain gear or soft-shell outerwear

MEDICATION – First aid kit w/ fresh supplies, instructions, and the knowledge to use them; your own daily medication

PROTECTION – Shelter, space blanket, or sil-tarp can provide immediate sun or rain protection for yourself or accident victims

STABILIZATION – Trekking poles to use for third leg, mono-pod, shelter pole, cougar and bear defense, poison oak deflector, general poking and irritating of small creatures

RECREATION – Mobile phone device, Emergency booklets, signal whistle, signal mirror, knife, multi-tool, cord

This is a trip that I have done a few times and really enjoy it as an annual spring trip. I posted this trip on the outdoorclub.org site and 5 people joined Deb and I for this camp out. Deb and I went to Ridgecrest on Friday April 11th and poked around different museums and went site seeing. The high light had to be the venture to the ghost town of Randsburg, where we meet Cowboy Bob, more to come on that! Anyway, we stayed at the Marriott SpringHill Suites and is brand new and very nice. We enjoyed and hour in the late afternoon by the pool, so nice! That evening we meet up with Victoria, Maria, and David for dinner, drink, and a game or two of pool. Just a warning to any, Victoria is a pool shark!
Next morning we all meet in the parking lot of the Marriott, Paige, Nancy and her dog Bogart also joined for the caravan out to the Pinacles. The drive from Ridgecrest is maybe 20 minutes to the turn off to go out onto the desert lake bed and the pinnacles area. This took maybe another 20 minutes due to dirt/gravel road conditions. The day was a beautiful day, blue skies and a little hazy. With the lack of any shade, it was warm and going to get to the mid 80’s by mid-day. We found the perfect campsite in a ring of pinnacles with view to the desert floor. After camp and tents were set up, we took it easy and sat around an chatted. Later in the day we went hiking and scrambling on pinnacles of all sorts up and down the chain of pinnacles. A little information on the formation of the pinnacles can be found on the BLM website. In the afternoon we found some nice shade under one of the Pinnacles above our campsite and had some good camaraderie, food, and drink. Later in the day, Deb and I went out mountain biking. Deb had not been on a bike in a while and had a great time, I on the other hand wiped out twice and skinned up my arms pretty good! That evening we had a great pot luck dinner with everyone sharing there good food.
Next day I set up a top rope on a Pinnacle above the campsite and all enjoyed climbing on a 60+ ft wall. The Pinnacles have some very sharp edges, all got a few climbing scraps, but were very proud of them! We broke camp and said our good byes and started the trip back to SoCal. In typical fashion, Deb and I took the round about way to get home driving through the Sequoia National Park, by Lake Isabella Lake. We also stopped at the PCT crossing over Walker Pass and then continued down through Red Rock Canyon State Park. Finally we headed for Murrieta for another fine trip completion.